Chimichurri

I Love Chimichurri.

Chimichurri is an Argentinian parsley "sauce", and usually eaten as an accompaniment to meats. And it is ridiculously easy to prepare and very versatile.

Here is my version of this recipe:

• 10-20 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
• half of a small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic (use less if you're not as into garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
• 2-4 tablespoons of red or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the parsley, you may substitute with curly parsley, but make sure for either type, use mainly the leaves. A bit of stem is OK but try not to use the main stalk of the parsley.

Put parsley, onion, garlic, red paper flakes, oregano, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil into a food processor or blender. Then pulse it 10-15 times. You do not want a puree. You still want to see small chunks. This is not a smooth sauce.

When done, pour content into a large ceramic bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil and mix thoroughly. Give it a taste. It should taste like fresh parsley, with a bit of acidity from the vinegar. Add additional tablespoons of vinegar if needed. Adjust seasoning to your liking. The sauce should not be too thick or too runny. If it is too thick, add a bit more olive oil.

This is the version that I made yesterday:

I served it with a roast leg of lamb, and it was delicious. Chimichurri should be served at room temperature, although you may store it in a tightly-closed containing in the fridge. Make it at least an hour before serving so that the flavor has time to "bloom".

It goes very well with lamb, steaks, grilled chicken, prime rib, and grilled fish. I've also seen people used this to dress cold pasta salad. Like I said, this is a very versatile sauce.

Zz.

BBQ Burnt Ends

I've been to a few BBQ joints in the Chicagoland area. Most are OK. But I like 2 in particular, and have returned to these two several times.

The first is a BBQ shack in Westmont called Uncle Bub's. The place itself is a hoot, with old-time country, rustic decor. And the food is consistently good. I usually get either the brisket (my stand-by favorite) or the broasted chicken. The food is plentiful and you have no excuse for leaving the place hungry.

But I have a new favorite place, and it is called Q-BBQ. There are, I think, 4 Q-BBQ in the Chicagoland area, but the one that I've been to several times is in downtown LaGrange. Other than the difficult parking during lunchtime, I really like coming here because of one very important thing - they have brisket burnt ends! I haven't seen any other BBQ joints around the area serving this. I love the burnt ends because you something can get the crispy, burnt edges that are full of smokey flavor. Yum!

The burnt edges come without sauce. It was cooked (or smoked) with a dry rub. The platter comes with hush puppies and 2 sides of your choice.

However, on each table, you have the option of 3 different sauces to add to the meat. 

I will admit of mixing the Texas spicy with the Memphis sweet sauces. Heck, I've even mixed all 3 of them together. Still, having the sauce separately gives diners the option of having the meal their way.

The burnt ends themselves are delicious, and has enough smokey flavor that one looks for in a good BBQ. I tell ya, for a BBQ joint in the middle of the upper Midwest, this is not a bad place at all!

Zz.